A Mother's Choice
by LilyWanKenobi
Summary: Everyone knows who Obi-Wan Kenobi is, but where did he come from? Who was his family? How did he end up with the Jedi? or Adia and Cael Kiyo to make the choice whether or not to give up her newborn son, Ben.


Two hours.

Two hours and nineteen minutes.

Two hours and nineteen minutes of pain and tears.

 _It was all worth it_.

Adia Kiyo stared in awe at the tiny figure swaddled in her arms. Two blue eyes stared back up at her seriously, seemingly too large for the tiny face. Soft red baby hairs covered his scalp, and one tiny fist poked its way out of the blankets.

"Ben."

She could have sworn that something in his eyes changed, a flicker of recognition at the sound of her voice.

Hurried footsteps sounded in the hallway, and Ben turned, large eyes fixing on the door only seconds before it opened. Cael immediately rushed to her side, dropping to his knees. "I'm so sorry, Love, they didn't tell me until the session ended."

She laughed, leaning over to kiss her husband, the love of her life, the father of her child. Her world.

A soft whimper drew them apart, both of their eyes going to the squirming bundle in her arms. All serenity had fled from the baby's face, and he was beginning to look remarkably like a tiny raincloud. His tiny face scrunched up, his mouth opening to let out an indignant chorus of squeals.

She'd never seen a more beautiful thing in her life.

"He's perfect," Cael's voice was full of awe as he got his first look at his infant son. "Adia, look at him, he's _perfect_."

The squeals subsided, turning into gurgles as he stared up at his dad. The tiny brow furrowd, a tiny fist rising to his mouth and an even smaller thumb popped in.

"My God, Adia, what have you done to our child?" He laughed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "The little _sgoltadh_ is thinking!"

She smacked him on the side of his head. "Don't swear."

Her husband grinned, unrepentant. "I knew there was nothing good to come out of letting you read so much. He's educated!" Cael poked the tiny fist gently. "He's going to be a smart one, he is."

"He is," she agreed, cuddling him closer.

How long they stayed like that, all wrapped up in each other, she had no idea. It was a moment of relief, a moment of truth. The tiny boy was the product of five years of tears and pain. A miracle, a gift for a woman who it was said would bear no children.

And yet, here he was. All ten fingers, all ten toes. Not a blemish on him. The most perfect child that ever breathed.

Yes, it was a good day.

She looked up when the healer came in, a slight frown on his face. Worry descended over her as he scrolled through his datapad, brow furrowed.

In her arms, Ben began to squirm, soft whimpers accompanying the moisture growing in his eyes. Cael tapped his cheek once before rising to his feet. "Ah, Lonn. Have you seen my Ben yet?"

Adia laughed softly. "He delivered him, love." She relaxed back against the plush pillows, still wondering why he frowned. "What is it, Lonn?" The medic had grown up alongside them, and had eventually become the family healer. He had been the one to initially diagnose her, so to see him looking so grim at such a happy event, when he knew how much of a struggle it had been to get here…

"Cael, Adia, I'm sorry," Lonn Uthero shifted uncomfortably. "But your son… Ben… is not- how shall I say?- normal."

Adia looked down at Ben, wide eyed and aware. She had never seen a baby more perfect. "I see nothing wrong with him."

"I wouldn't say wrong, exactly…"

"Then what?" Cael snapped, fists balling. "Spit it out, man!"

The poor man looked terrified. "Upon his birth, your son was tested for a number of things, as is procedure. One of those tests is for midichlorian count, which determines force-sensitivity. It appears that your son has an uncommonly high number of midichlorians."

Midichlorians? Force-sensitivity? Adia looked to her husband for for clarification, but he looked just as confused as she did. "What does that mean?"

Lonn frowned. "I am sure you know what a Jedi is, correct?"

"Of course." Who hadn't heard of the legendary protectors of the Republic, guardians of peace? Beings who were more, who had powers that others could only dream of. The superheroes of their day. "What about them?"

"According to my understanding, Jedi are beings gifted with the ability to access the Force, a mystical field that is said to make up the entire galaxy." Lonn handed the datapad to Cael. "You can read more about it there."

Ben began to squirm, and she readjusted her hold on him. "Surely you cannot be saying that our son… Ben… is one of these Jedi?"

"He has the potential to be one."

Cael's grip tightened on the datapad until his fingers went white. "What… what does that mean?"

Lonn ran a hand through his hair, looking worn and tired. "It is the Jedi's custom to take potential Jedi when they are very young, generally before their first life day."

"So young?" She looked down at Ben's tiny face, peaceful in sleep.

"They believe attachments distract them from their duty, and consequently believe it better to retrieve their charges as soon as possible."

"They can not force us to give him up, surely." Cael glared at the medic as if he was one of the Jedi, come to take their son.

"Typically, they can, and will. However," Here Lonn smiled slightly, "I believe I have found a loophole. Because Cael is next in line to the throne until Dacey's baby is born, that makes your son the heir. According to what I have read on the Jedi, they are not allowed to take the royal heir without the expressed permission of the parents. So, your son is free."

She frowned. "But Dacey is pregnant. They plan to announce it publicly at the end of the week."

Lonn waved her off. "It will not matter. Until their child is born, Ben will be heir. The Jedi will not be able to dispute the matter, and they cannot force you to give him up after his first life day, and I'm sure her Ladyship won't mind if her child cannot immediately be named heir because of 'medical' reasons. Say, a weak heart or something."

Cael nodded in agreement. "As it is, the Jedi will likely have forgotten he even existed by that time, and life days always tend to get mixed up."

Relief. That's what she should have felt. She didn't have to give up her precious baby. "But…" both the medic and her husband seemed surprised at the word. "Being a Jedi… isn't that a privilige? Would I be depriving Ben by not sending him to them? And this Force stuff, will he be alright if we don't send him? Do we have to conduct some sort of procedure to remove these midi… midi…"

"Midichlorians," Lonn supplied. "As of yet, there is no known way to deprive an individual of the Force, at least to the common public. Of course, there are Force binders, or ysalimiri, which can dampen your son's perception, but both of those may have long term side affects. As to raising a Force-sensitive, it is a… precarious… situation. They are literally enhanced beings, and as such can do things thought to be unnatural and even impossible. And for the normal things, they simply do them faster and more efficiently."

Cael frowned. "Explain."

"Jedi- Force-sensitives- are known to have several spectacular powers. Telekinesis, mind control, silent communication with other Force sensitives, the ability to read minds." Lonn shrugged. "I've heard rumors that some can see the future or the past, heal, even fly."

Adia and Cael shared a brief look of panic. "Fly?"

"More of a glorified fall, if you will."

"Mind control?" she looked down at her sweet baby, eyes closed and sucking his thumb contentedly. Who knew such an innocent creature had such devious powers? "Mind reading?"

Lonn shrugged. "They are spectacular beings. Some of these skills must be taught, while others may be employed with little knowledge on the users part." He picked up another datapad from the desk, scrolling through it. "Most untrained force-sensitives will walk and talk up to two months sooner than normal, show incredible perception and understanding of their surroundings, may move an object telekinetically in moments of heightened emotion, and tend to lack the fear that will keep their playmates on the ground. They also have excellent reflexes, strength, agility, speed, endurance, and an extraordinarily high pain tolerance." He handed her the datapad. "Here's an article that goes pretty in depth. I'lll leave you alone for a while."

Absently, she scrolled through it, trying to make sense of all that it said. The author was a mother who had been given the opportunity to raise her son herself. She detailed the experience from his birth to his death. According to the woman, he'd grown quickly, excelled in his studies, and loved his family fiercly. At only twenty-four, he'd saved over fifty people from a burning building, only to die when it collapsed on him after he went back in for a pet lost in the fray.

He'd died helping others.

She thought of all of the stories she had heard, of the Jedi. They lived to serve, trained their whole lives to dedicate it to the public. They were selfless, risking life and limb to keep the galaxy safe.

This man had saved over fifty people, but what could he have done, if he had been one of them? They had been given special abilities, and trained to maximize their use of them. He had never had the chance.

Ben might never have the chance.

On a whim, she decided to type in 'Jedi' and see what the holonet brought up.

Of course, there was the usual informative articles that explained what Jedi were, how many there are, who were the most well known, etc. But the article that caught Adira's eye was a headline dated a few days before.

' _Jedi Master Jinn Single-Handedly Defends City, Defeats Entire Battalion'_

 _Impossible_. That was her first thought, even as she clicked on the article.

 _Exaggeration_. That was her second thought, conceived somewhere between the third and fourth paragraph.

 _Unbelievable_. That was her third thought, recognized halfway through the holographic footage of the Jedi Master slicing through endless waves of battle droids with ease.

Next, she searched 'Qui-Gon Jinn'.

The man was a legend, a sort of Champion among Jedi, and a rebel as well. His deeds seemed to be endless, his skills almost unmatched.

For hours, even after the medic had left and Cael had drifted off to sleep, she watched video after video and read article after article about the Jedi. She had heard about them from the time she was a little girl, but had only known them to be some sort of nearly-immortal beings with superpowers. She hadn't questioned how they got said powers, or even where they came from. She had not had the slightest idea that any person could have a force-sensitive child, and had hardly ever thought that she might.

But she did.

She knew the decision was hers to make. Cael would be impulsive, and do everything short of murder to keep anyone away from his son. He was hotheaded and irrational like that. She would have to be the one to think everything through, to come to a calm decision unbiased by emotion. Once he heard her reasoning, he would likely cool down and think about it himself, and agree or disagree logically. It was one reason why they worked so well together.

Adia imagined a day, several years in the future. Ben could be a Jedi Knight, all handsome and grown. She had little doubt that he would be a perfect mix of them both, she could already see it in him. Brash and cocky like his father, with a temper as red as the tiny tuft of hair on his head. But her side would temper him, making him thoughtful and quiet, which would no doubt be accompanied by no small measure of awkwardness and self-deprecation.

He could make a wonderful Jedi.

She paused, mulling over the thought for only a few seconds.

He _would_ make a wonderful Jedi.

 **Fin.**

* * *

 **This idea was drawn from the Obi-Wan Kenobi legends page on Wookiepedia. It says that he was the eldest son of a wealthy family, sent to the temple in his infancy. But why would his family send their firstborn son? This is my take on the situation, and the struggle Obi-Wan's mother must have went through to come to such a decision.**


End file.
